Care2 member? Log in

Ensure Children Have Safe and Healthy Homes

Target: U.S. Congress
Sponsored by: American Humane Association

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was passed in 1974 because of increasing public awareness of the need to ensure the safety and welfare of children. CAPTA provides federal money to state and local communities like yours for programs and services to prevent abuse, protect children and strengthen families.

Each year, almost 1 million American children experience abuse and neglect. Of these children, 60 percent suffer neglect, 19 percent physical abuse, 10 percent sexual abuse, and 7 percent emotional maltreatment. All of these forms of abuse can have a lifelong psychological and physical impact on a child. And shockingly, approximately 1400 children are killed each year from abuse, most of whom are under the age of one.

Every five years, CAPTA gets reauthorized. This year it is up for review again. President Bush has already cut many important human service programs in this year's budget (including domestic violence and juvenile justice funds). We need your help to ensure these cuts do not affect the safety of children.

Please ask Congress to not only maintain current funding levels, but to increase funding to keep up with today's economy, so that all children can live in safe and healthy homes.

deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 30,000

21,093
signatures!

Sign Petition! see who signed this

Prefix

optional

First name

Last name

don't display my name

Country

Address

City

State

Province

Zip code Postal code

Tell Congress why you want programs to prevent child abuse.

	I agree to Care2's terms of service.
	We respect your privacy. Your email address is used to confirm your signature and is NOT displayed publicly.

Having problems signing this petition? Please let us know.

Dear [member of Congress],

I am writing to you today to ask for your support for increasing the budget for state grants, community-based prevention grants, and research grants supported by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). Our nation's child welfare system is stretched beyond capacity to handle the full scope of the problem. Appropriate services for families and children who have been victimized by abuse or neglect are lacking, and insufficient funding has been allocated for the prevention of child maltreatment.

And now, I fear that this situation may only get worse. President Bush has already cut many important human service programs in this year's budget (including domestic violence and juvenile justice funds), and I strongly oppose cutting into budgets for child abuse services.

Our child protection system demands adequate investment. Continuing to do otherwise is far too costly. A 2003 study calculated the total costs of child abuse to exceed $87 billion annually -- $258 million dollars a day -- a figure that includes the immediate direct costs (such as law enforcement, medical treatment, child welfare services and foster care) and long-term indirect costs (including juvenile delinquency and crime, special education, and lost productivity).

Yet, according to the Urban Institute, out of more than $20 billion spent each year on child welfare in federal, state and local funds, states typically spend just between 10 and 15 percent on prevention and the protection of children. We have a spending gap in this country in services to prevent child abuse and to intervene on behalf of children known to the child protection system.
It would be good business sense if we invested our resources in child protection and prevention services the way we should.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. James J. Heckman has concluded in his research that "early childhood interventions of high quality have lasting effects on learning and motivation." An additional analysis conducted by Federal Reserve Bank economists recognizes that "investment in early childhood development yields an extraordinary return, far exceeding the return on most investments, private or public ... that are currently funded as economic development." And at a recent Senate hearing, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke noted "a significant return towards investing in young kids."

Preventing child abuse is cost effective. Putting dollars aside for prevention is sound investing, not luxury spending. We urge you to put together the resources to support preventive services and treatment services that can save us money in the long run.

It is crucial that Congress makes the protection of children a priority. Therefore I urge you to support increased funding for CAPTA.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

We signed the “Ensure Children Have Safe and Healthy Homes” petition!

# 21,000:

6:08 pm PDT, Jul 21, Mark Kiernan, Italy

# 20,999:

5:50 pm PDT, Jul 21, Alexandria Miller, California

# 20,998:

11:01 am PDT, Jul 20, Tamarah Swensen, Netherlands

# 20,997:

10:14 am PDT, Jul 20, VIDA TOBI KANTER, New York

# 20,996:

7:00 pm PDT, Jul 19, Diane Lane, Kansas

# 20,995:

10:02 am PDT, Jul 19, Dj Hace, California

# 20,994:

4:52 pm PDT, Jul 18, Lois Quinones, Florida

# 20,993:

7:42 pm PDT, Jul 17, Tammy L Caudle, Colorado

# 20,992:

5:18 pm PDT, Jul 17, Casey Baker, Washington

# 20,991:

6:44 am PDT, Jul 17, Bridget Hopper, Kentucky

# 20,990:

7:44 pm PDT, Jul 16, Jordan Smoczyk, Minnesota

# 20,989:

8:59 am PDT, Jul 16, Erin Schuch, Ohio

# 20,988:

7:37 pm PDT, Jul 15, RICHANA NIEVES, Florida

# 20,987:

4:20 pm PDT, Jul 15, Andrea Cheyenne Jackson, Indiana
Preventing child abuse is the best way to help protect a child that will have to deal with the aftermath of abuse. I was abused as a child and wish that there was something that could have been done to protect me more and would have been able to help me out so I would not have to be the age I am now and dealing with the aftermath. Children are our future, do you think it is time we start protecting them?

# 20,986:

9:47 am PDT, Jul 15, Jacinda Fenske, Wisconsin

# 20,985:

1:50 pm PDT, Jul 14, Peter Supersano, Nevada

# 20,984:

8:54 am PDT, Jul 14, Vincent Lopez, California

# 20,983:

7:27 pm PDT, Jul 13, Cathy Berman, Maryland
Many instances of child abuse could be prevented, but like all programs, it takes money to identify and reach out to at-risk families. This is money well spent.

# 20,982:

4:44 pm PDT, Jul 12, Darinka Kaluza, Canada

# 20,981:

2:35 pm PDT, Jul 12, Elizabeth Kanze, Massachusetts

# 20,980:

5:13 pm PDT, Jul 11, Michelle Lerman, Arizona

# 20,979:

8:06 am PDT, Jul 11, Diana Black, Indiana
I am a survivor of child abuse and our children need protected . Please take care of our children , they are the future !

# 20,978:

11:49 pm PDT, Jul 10, Name not displayed, Texas

# 20,977:

3:43 pm PDT, Jul 10, Donna Council, Texas

# 20,976:

1:43 pm PDT, Jul 10, Aline Cortese, California

# 20,975:

5:50 am PDT, Jul 10, Mike Bright, United Kingdom

# 20,974:

12:38 am PDT, Jul 9, Sabrina Suhaili, Malaysia

# 20,973:

12:20 am PDT, Jul 9, Lily Jenkins, Louisiana
I believe there are a lot of families out there whose children suffer because the mother and father can't get along or there is a lot of conflict with the relationship..Most of the time the fathers get angry and upset take it out on the children and two days later the child is in the hospital hurting or vice versa. Children all over should not see the parents fight. Sure my man and I have tons of fights, but our new baby is not ever around. Please do something that will make families think and not be so stupid in hurting a little one. Another issue is that parents need to love their children more and not be so careless. People all over should know that the government cares a great deal about..mainly because we females can have children to be in the army to get killed lol..

# 20,972:

5:59 pm PDT, Jul 8, Leah Banayan, Illinois
I am writing this on behalf of the millions of children who have victimized by neglect and abuse. They need your support by increasing the budget for state grants, community-based prevention grants, and research grants supported by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). Our nation's child welfare system needs to take more action when there are so many children who have been victimized by abuse or neglect . Why are we lacking sufficient funding for the prevention of child maltreatment? President Bush has already cut many important human service programs in this year's budget (including domestic violence and juvenile justice funds), and I strongly oppose cutting into budgets for child abuse services. It truly is a crime. Thank you

# 20,971:

12:27 pm PDT, Jul 8, Pamela Robedeau, Michigan
Do I even need to make it that simple for congress to understand how many and how child abuse happens everyday. WE NEED TO TRY SOMETHING ELSE TO HELP DECREASE THIS PROBLEM!!!!!

# 20,970:

11:20 am PDT, Jul 8, Brittaney Brown, Arizona

# 20,969:

10:06 pm PDT, Jul 7, Erica Wesselman, Hawaii

# 20,968:

7:41 pm PDT, Jul 7, Linda Nguyen, Missouri

# 20,967:

3:06 pm PDT, Jul 7, D A Roy, Texas

# 20,966:

7:25 pm PDT, Jul 6, Carolina Munoz, Chile

# 20,965:

3:40 pm PDT, Jul 6, Carrie Harvley, South Carolina
My sister-in-law is currently being investigated by DSS. Her 9-year-old daughter told DSS that "her mommy does meth", and DSS did nothing. This tells me that our child welfare programs are in desperate need of some changes.

# 20,964:

1:01 pm PDT, Jul 6, Edward Flounoy Jr., New York
It helps people know what to do with child abuse or suspect child abuse

# 20,963:

7:12 am PDT, Jul 6, Amy Sullivan, Maryland

# 20,962:

11:19 pm PDT, Jul 5, Nicole Bilotti, California

# 20,961:

9:28 am PDT, Jul 5, Deanne Anderson, Massachusetts

# 20,960:

2:37 pm PDT, Jul 4, Michelle Gorman, Massachusetts
This involves our children. There should be NO question. We must increase the budget for state grants, community-based prevention grants, and research grants supported by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).

# 20,959:

12:57 pm PDT, Jul 4, Tania Savana, Indonesia
Our child is our future. When abuse become common things and unsolving problem, than our child couldn't never free from fear for their entire life. Than how they could continue our dreams together?

# 20,958:

8:45 pm PDT, Jul 3, Maria Chinchilla-Kebler, Florida

# 20,957:

7:47 pm PDT, Jul 3, Sharon Chang, Louisiana

# 20,956:

4:45 pm PDT, Jul 3, Name not displayed, New York
I was sexually abused from age 3-19,I was brainwashed and when I was raped at 15 I did not report it,because as i said i was brainwashed to be quiet,i was just told to stay away from my molestors,i lost my childhood,and cannot get it back,I also suffer from p.t.s.s.,anxiety,panic attacks,agoraphobia etc.my life will always be hell until the day i die,sad but true,sincerely,connie/sempersugar

# 20,955:

3:03 pm PDT, Jul 3, Danielle Sullivan, California
Too many children are being put in danger. We need intervention for these children who are dependent on their parents or caretakers who obviously have no sense

# 20,954:

11:37 am PDT, Jul 3, Barbara Morrow, Illinois
Is there any priority that exceeds the importance of taking care of our children? I cannot imagine anything more important than loving our children and protecting them. Please support CAPTA. What will happen to our world if abuse is all the children ever learn?Do something now to help our world become a better place, not a worse one. Thank you.

# 20,953:

8:30 am PDT, Jul 2, APRIL ZIMMERMAN, Pennsylvania

# 20,952:

7:01 am PDT, Jul 2, Candace Penner, California

# 20,951:

11:03 am PDT, Jul 1, Larissa Coad, Illinois

View Signatures:
|<
<
21,097
21,050
21,000
20,950
20,900
...
150
100
50
>
>|